Machine for separating silk from green corn.



H. H. ULERY.

MACHINE r011 SEPARATING SILK FROM GREEN 001m h APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, 1907. I Pa en ed July s 1909.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W/ TNES'SES A TTORNEVS' Patented July 6, 1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. H. ULERY.

MAGHINE FOR SEPARATING SILK PROM GREEN CORN.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR 14 1907 W1/7mES5'E9.-, I %M A TTQRNEYS w, I, GIMIAM 00,. rmw-umocumsns. wnsnmcmu n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' HUGH H. ULERY, OF HOOPESTON, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING SILK FROM GREEN CORN.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH H. ULERY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hoopeston, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Machine for Separating Silk from Green Corn, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for removing silk from green corn, and its object is to provide a simple and eflicient machine of this character which is compact in construction, continuous in operation, and which is practically self-cleaning.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plurality of endless separating conveyers pitched in opposite directions alter nately and arranged one above the other, each of said separators being provided with separate means for oscillating the lower end portion thereof vertically, all of the oscillating means being actuated by a common power device.

A further object is to provide separate oscillating conveyer-s, each of which is provided, adjacent its pivotal point, with a cleaning device carried by a fixed portion of the machine, said cleaning device and conveyer maintaining practically the same relation at all times during the oscillation of the conveyer.

A still further object is to provide simple and efiicient means for guiding the separators during the oscillation thereof and for limiting the said oscillating movement.

lVith these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

I11 said drawings :--Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of a portion of the separator. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of the separator. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the separator. Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of

the upper portion of one of the conveyers,

and showing a brush for cleaning the same. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modified form of conveyer strip.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates a frame constituting Specification of Letters Iatent.

Application filed March 14, 1907.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Serial No. 362,381.

the body of the machine, said frame sup porting, at its upper end, a feed hopper 2. Arranged within the frame aresuperposed pairs of side strips 3, 4 and 5, the upper pair 3 and the lower pair 5 being disposed substantially parallel, while the middle pair a is inclined oppositely to the strips 3 and 5'. All of these strips are pivotally mounted as at 6 within the frame 1, these pivots being located close to the upper ends of the strips 3, 4L and 5. Each of the strips 3, 4: and 5 is slotted longitudinally adjacent its upper end, as indicated at 8, the slots of the strips of each pair receiving the end portions of shaft 3. Boxes 9 may be provided within the slots 8 for the ends of shaft 8, and said boxes are adjusted longitudinally of the slots by means of screws 9, as ordinarily.

J ournaled within the lower end portions of the side strips 3, t and 5 are transversely extending shafts 7, the ends of which project beyond the side strips and are designed to work within slots 17, formed within guide brackets 17, which are secured to the frame 1. A pair of sprockets 10 are secured on each shaft 8 and 7, and mounted on these sprockets are chains 12, each link of which has an inwardly extending ear 12 to which is secured one end of a cross-slat 13. Secured longitudinally upon each of these slats is a separating plate 15, having a plurality of apertures 1a therein, said apertures being disposed in longitudinal groups located at opposite sides of a row of alining pins 16, extending perpendicularly from the working face of the plate 15. The plates 15 are so located that one edge portion of each plate laps the adjoining plate, thus producing a 0011- tinuous uninterrupted metal conveyer which remains practically unbroken, even at the point where the conveyer passes around the sprockets, this being due to the fact that one plate 15 is connected to each link of each chain. Each of these endless separators and conveyers is disposed entirely between its pair of side strips, and it is to be understood that. when the strips of each pair are oscillated upon their pivots 6, the conveyer or separator mounted between and carried by said strips will obviously. be moved therewith in view of the fact that the shafts 8 and 7 of the conveyer are journaled within the strips.

J ournaled within the frame 1 and directly below each of the pivots 6, is a revolving brush 26, which constantly contacts with the lower ply of the conveyor thereabove, each brush having a gear 26 rotating therewith and engaged by an endless chain 2 1. This chain is driven by a sprocket 21, secured to a drive shaft 20, and each of the shafts Sis provided adjacent one end with a sprocket 10, said sprockets 10 being successively engaged by the chain 2 1, which, as indicated in Fig. 1, extends back and forth within the frame 1, and below the conveyers or separators. A shaft 18 is journaled within the frame 1 below and adjacent the lower end of each se )arat ')r, and said shaft has a sprocket 23 over which the chain 2% passes. Said chain also engages all of the gears 26. It will be seen therefore that when the chain is actuated it will simultaneously rotate all of the sprockets 10, 26 and 23, thus p'ro ducing the simultaneous actuation of the conveyers or separators and their brushes as well as the shafts 18. These last mentioned shafts are each provided with tappets 19, designed to lift or strike against the lower portion of the adjoining co'nveyer once during each rotation of the shaft 18. Vertical oscillation of the various conveyers or separators is thus produced without however changing the relation of the conveyers or separators to theircleaning brushes 2G. The brackets 17 constitute eflicient guides for the lower or movable ends of the conveyers inasmuch as the ends of shaft 7 work within the slots 17. j

A suitable chaintighten'er 25 may be mounted on the frame so to take up slack within the chain and a guide sprocket or sheave 24 may be adjustably connected to the frame 1 below the lowermost sprocket 23 so as to insure the proper engagement of the chain with said sprocket 23.

In using the machine herein described the corn which has been cut from the cob and the particles of cob, silk and shuck commingled therewith are deposited within the hopper 2 and discharged thereby on to the upper conveyor and separator contained be tween and movable with the strips 3. The movement of the chain 24 will result in the actuation of this conveyor and separator and the silk, shucks and particles of cob are caught upon thepins 16 and conveyed to the upper end of the conveyor, at which point they are discharged into any suitable receptacle provided therefor. Should any of this undesirable material cling to the pins afte'if'passing this point, the brush '26 will operate to pick the material from the pins and deposit it into the receptacle. The grains of corn will drop downward through the openings in the plates 15 to the next conveyor thereunder, clogging of the/013G11 ings within, the endless conveyers being pre vented in view of the agitation produced by the rotating tappets 19, which raise and drop the lower ends of the conveyers without however interfering with the operation thereof. The corn drops down through all of the conveyers into a receptacle provided therefor within the lower portion of the frame 1, and, by utilizing a series of conveyers, as shown, the removal of all portions of the undesi "able material is insured.

Importance is attached to the fact that each of the conveyers is pivotally mounted and that the cleaning brush is journaled within the frame close to the pivot so that during the oscillation of the conveyer said conveyer and the brush will not change their relative positions, the brush will contact with the lower ply of the conveyer at all times during the oscillation thereof.

If desired, and as shown in Fig. 7, the openings within the plates 15 may be provided with toothed or serrated walls so as to engage the shucks and prevent them from passing downward through the openings with the grains of corn.

\Vhat is claimed is 1. A separator of the class described comprising a series of superposed endless conveyers, the adjoining conveyers being in :clined in opposite directions and each conveyer being pivotally mounted at its receiving end, means for simultaneously actuating all of the conveyers, said actuation being unaffected by the pivotal movement of the conveyers, separate revoluble means cooperating with the delivery ends of the conveyers for oscillating said ends in a vertical plane during the actuation of the conveyers,.and a revoluble cleaning brush j ournaled below and close to each of the pivots, and maintained constantly in the same relation to the adjoining conveyer.

2. A separator for removing silk, shucks, etc., from grains of corn, consisting of flexibly connected plates having lapping edge portions, said plates having apertures therein provided with serrated edges.

8. A separator for removing silk, shucks, etc, from grains of corn, consisting of "flexibly connected plates having lapping edge portions, said plates having apertures therein provided with serrated edges, and silk engaging pins oi'itstanding from the plates and between the apertures.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afliXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HUGH H. ULERY.

Witnesses DALE WAL'LAOE, EMORY H. RIoIioREnK. 

